wassup en LA

As I mentioned before, the project is seeking funding via Kickstarter, an online platform by which you can make a pledge that only gets charged if they reach their fundraising goals.

Now, based on the comments on that last post, there’s something of a split among Babalu readers in terms of excitement about this project. So consider this an update on the project’s progress for all of you, and a link to a way to act for some of you.

The Wassup people are about halfway to their goal of $50,000. With Just a few days left, they have raised about $21,000.

So… if you’re into this project and would like to contribute, do so here.

For the sake of full disclosure, I’ll say that I did pledge $50 to this project. I don’t pretend to have read scripts or gotten to know all these people intimately. More than anything, I’m curious to see where this goes, and confident that — at the very lest — this group would put together a more faithful portrayal of Cubans and Cuban-Americans than anybody doing so now.

Just a little while ago, I joined three of the people behind “Wassup en LA?” for a Google+ Hangout. “Wassup en LA?” is a sitcom about a Cuban American family that moves from Miami to Los Angeles when one of the kids decides to chase his acting dreams.

We talked about being Cuban, portraying a Cuban family for mainstream TV audiences and the experiences, art, politics and history that inform their approach to making the show.

Now, some young Cuban Americans are working on bringing cubaneo back to the small screen in a sitcom project called Wassup en LA? The premise (as I understand it) is that one of the kids wants to become an actor, so the whole family moves out to Los Angeles with him as he follows his dreams.

Like true 21st-century aspiring sitcom stars, they’re trying to get their project off the ground using Kickstarter (think social media for raising capital).

Tomorrow evening, I’ll be interviewing creator Carlos de la Vega and cast member Jean Paul San Pedro via Google+ Hangout. We’ll talk about the show, Cubanness, their approach to portraying a Cuban family for a broader audience, and other things.

What would you ask? Leave your ideas for questions in the comments below. I just might use them in the interview.